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The people at Lonely Planet have figured out that I love travel, or that I love books, or that I like giving away free stuff on my blog from time to time. Whatever the reason, I have copies of the new Lonely Planet Encounter series -- groovy mini-guide books with maps and features of different neighborhoods -- for New York, L.A., Las Vegas, and San Francisco.

Want one? Email me. First come, first served, and I'll drop 'em in the mail after Christmas.

And happy holidays! I'm off to go drink some eggnog now...

***Post-Christmas note: Thanks to all of you who wrote in -- I got rid of all the freebies.

Four Peaks' latest seasonal beer, the Winter Wobbler, has only been on draft since last week, and already the supply's down to about 200 gallons.

"We say it's 'On and gone,'" says owner Andy Ingram.

The Winter Wobbler changes every year. Last year's was a licorice-flavored stout, while the 2007 batch is a smoked imperial porter.

Sounds delish. Better get it while you can -- Ingram says the next seasonal brew (an as-yet-undetermined style) won't be ready until March.

Just in time for a holiday toast, there's a new, er, old bar that just debuted down on Grand Avenue.

It's Chez Nous Cocktail Lounge, avec une nouvelle maison.

The funky, old-school local favorite lost its longtime digs (sniff, sniff) to new development at 7th Ave and Indian School, but somehow kept its momentum, moving into the space that used to house Fat Cat's.

From what I've heard, owner Amina Uben has completely renovated and suitably swankified the place -- although if she turns the lights down as low as they did at the old Chez Nous, you won't be able to see much of it. Nothing wrong with a dark, cozy hangout, though.

Check it out at 915 N. Grand Avenue, which is basically a block northwest of 7th Ave and Van Buren. For more info, call 602-266-7372.

My latest solution to turning a shitty day into a semi-good one:

Soup.

Okay, it wasn't really a completely shitty day -- for the most part, it was pretty productive. But this afternoon I talked to my Dad and got some very depressing news. Super-sad-but-goddamn-I-gotta-be-optimistic news.

I thought I'd run out for a bite to eat but all I really wanted was some good, hot, homemade soup. Nowhere came to mind to get some, so I absentmindedly wound up at the grocery store, chucking vegetables into my basket. Funny, I ran into a friend, who also happened to be gathering ingredients for soup.

"Well, I'm so hungry that I'll probably just go to Chico's Tacos for something to eat now and make the soup for tomorrow," he said.

My rumbling stomach was on my mind, too, but instead of tacos, I grabbed a cheap bottle of pinot noir and a loaf of French bread. I came home and cranked up the music.

I've been listening to a bunch of CDs on random that happen to be good soup-making, wine-drinking music: Mosquitos (kinda Brazillian pop), the Herb Albert album with the foxy naked chick lounging in a mountain of whipped cream, as remixed by Thievery Corporation and a bunch of others, another random comp with electro-Brazilian stuff, some funky Medeski Martin & Wood album, this super-chipper, sorta old LP from the Japanese group Pizzicato Five (love), and the new full-length from What Laura Says Thinks and Feels, a kooky Beatles/Beach Boys/wtf Phoenix band that I've been digging for awhile now.

Now I'm sitting here, with my pinot almost kicked, writing this blog post before I go skim off more chicken fat. Christmas tree lights, soup-making, wine, fun music plus blog equals a much better state of mind than before.

Thanks, blog-readers. I almost called you blogateers. ;-)

They got me by the title of this one: I Like Food, Food Tastes Good: In the Kitchen With Your Favorite Bands. (Remember that old Descendents song that they named this after? I haven't heard it since the cassette player days. Ahh, nostalgia.)

Anyway, it's a fun concept and an entertaining read, with recipes from dozens of rock bands, from Death Cab to My Morning Jacket to Tucson's own Calexico. If you're wracking your brain to find a cool Christmas present for a favorite foodie and/or music fan, check it out. Just don't be surprised if the recipient wants to show it off on his or her coffee table instead of keeping it by the kitchen counter.

Okay, no you really have no excuse.

Never been to Andreoli Italian Grocer? Tomorrow's your day. Already eaten there but haven't gone back lately? C'mon, get yourself over there.

One of my food spies just snagged the menu for tomorrow's Italian Christmas Celebration, with an outdoor market special seasonal dishes prepared by chef-owner Giovanni Scorzo.

What's on the menu? All kinds of treats from different regions of Italy, including arancini (Sicilian stuffed rice balls), salsiccia del sud (homemade southern Italian sausage and peppers), baccala in umido con patate e baccala fritto (stewed salt cod with potatoes, or country-style sauteed salt cod), and polpettine di campagna (meatballs). Are you drooling yet?

For dessert, look for bomboloni (Tuscan doughnuts), cornetti (Italian chocolate croissants), and castagne caldarrosto (roasted chestnuts).

Word is, Giovanni will be cooking a whole roasted suckling pig, too!

The shindig goes down all day tomorrow, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., at 8880 E. Via Linda in Scottsdale. Call 480-614-1980. If this is your first time there, be sure to Mapquest directions -- get off the 101 at 90th Street, head east, take a left at Via Linda, and it's tucked behind some other buildings, near a Fry's. Swaddee Thai is also right across the street.

Pamela Hamilton from Edible Phoenix magazine just dropped me a line to invite Chow Bella readers to nominate their favorite culinary and agricultural personalities for this year's Local Heroes awards.

Here are the five categories: Farmer/Rancher/Forager (2006 winner, Bob McClendon); Restaurant/Chef (2006 winner, Chrysa Kaufman of Rancho Pinot); Food Artisan (2006 winner, Black Mesa Ranch); Beverage Artisan; and Special/Non-Profit (2006 winner, Cindy Gentry of Downtown Phoenix Public Market).

Winners will be included in Edible Nation, a new book focusing on food proponents from across the country.

Cast your vote by Saturday, December 15, at this link.

As if Daniel Wayne doesn't work hard enough cooking up a storm in the kitchen of his restaurant, Lola Tapas, now he says he's going to be working the espresso machine there every morning, too.

Tentatively starting Monday, December 17, Lola Tapas will be open as Lola Coffeebar from 7 a.m. to noon, Monday through Saturday.

No doubt the place will have an instant following, thanks to Wayne's reputation as an uber-talented barista (he's the former owner of Lux Coffeebar, the hipster hangout next to Pane Bianco). Fresh-baked tarts and cakes from Lola's in-house pastry chef will be another draw, and wi-fi will be an added bonus. And now that he just got a permit from the city, Wayne says he'll be opening an outdoor patio as well -- most likely, as soon as the skies clear up.

This morning, I chatted with Erenia Pool about the latest news at Matt's Big Breakfast: the Food Network's profiling them, too! (See my post from last week about Joe's Farm Grill.) I couldn't wish the attention on sweeter people.

Guy Fieri and the crew from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives filmed there over the weekend, and will be back bright and early tomorrow for more footage -- or is it for another order of those excellent pancakes?

According to Pool, the episode will likely air in January.

Word's out that Taggia restaurant is no more, and chef Claudio Urciuoli is splitsville. Is anybody really surprised?

It seems like the guy never really got a chance to show Scottsdale his true vision. Indeed, the preview menu that I blogged about, way back when, was already watered down by the time the eatery opened. (A friend of mine who'd eaten his food before complained, "Looking at the menu, I feel they dumbed down his food big time.")

I'd heard a rave about Urciuoli from a friend who'd eaten food he'd personally cooked for them, but on my one anonymous visit, it was obvious that Claudio wasn't in the kitchen -- he was too busy chitchatting with people at a nearby table. I loved the burrata with roasted tomatoes, but everything else I had that night was completely forgettable. Sadly, I remember more about the annoying waiter who stood around waiting for me to eat my tiramisu, expecting me to be overjoyed or something.

Back in June, just three months after Taggia opened at the recently renamed Firesky Resort, I'd heard that Urciuoli wasn't going to stick around. And indeed, by August, Urciuoli was no longer acting as chef at Taggia, but instead overseeing the menu concept, and splitting his time between Scottsdale and Washington D.C., where he was developing a new restaurant for the Kimpton hotel chain.

The whole thing leaves me more than a little bummed -- the promise of an "ever-changing menu" never became a reality, and what seemed like a promising chef-driven concept hasn't really had anyone at the wheel for awhile.

After leaving its longtime home on McDowell, Willow House has reopened in a new location, at 1722 W. Van Buren. And since it happens to be First Friday, too, tonight's a good time for a "Grand Reopening Party."

From 7 to midnight, tonight, there will be free performances from World Class Thugs, Hands on Fire, Tom Tuerff, Robin Vining, Foot Ox, and My Feral Kin.

On what looks to be a chilly, rainy night, a cup of hot coffee at the new Willow House sounds like the perfect artwalk pitstop. Call 602-252-0272 for info.

"When they call, you make time," says Joe Johnston, owner of Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert, of his recent contact with the Food Network.

A production crew from the show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" will be onsite tomorrow to start shooting for an episode that will air in late February. The shoot will continue on Monday, when host Guy Fieri will be on hand to mix it up with the crowd.

"We invite people to join us and enjoy the action. Who knows, they may be on national TV," Johnston says. The restaurant will be open for regular hours, and will serve its regular menu.

On a related note, when I stopped in at Arlecchino on Saturday night, Boris, Moreno Spangaro's dreadlocked protege, mentioned that the Food Network might be shooting a segment at the popular Phoenix gelato shop in a few weeks.

My thought is, the Valley's a pretty untapped treasure trove of Food Network fodder. Let me be the first to say we're the next big thing! And I'd make one badass TV show host, if it weren't for that whole food critic anonymity thing . . .

After extensively renovating the space that formerly housed Panino on Central, Myrah and Joe Aiello opened Aiello's, a new Italian restaurant, a little over a week ago.

The couple owned an eatery called Mimi's Macaroni, on Manhattan's Upper West Side, for the better part of the 1990s, and ran a catering business as well. Myrah says having two young kids prompted them to move to the Valley in 2000; since then, they've been working in the corporate world. She says they're thrilled to have their own restaurant again.

The lunch menu features salads and sandwiches (including a grilled eggplant and homemade mozzarella sandwich, and a meatball parmigiana hero), plus a dozen different pasta dishes. Come dinnertime, there are even more pasta options. Look for housemade pappardelle, spaghetti carbonara, spaghetti with "Joe's famous meatballs," and a ravioli of the day, along with a variety of Italian entrees, from chicken Milanese to veal saltimbocca. The wine list features 45 different wines from across Italy, with several available by the glass.

Aiello's, located at 5202 N. Central (between Camelback and Missouri) is open for dinner nightly, from 4 to 10 p.m. (to 9 p.m. on Sunday). Lunch hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. Call 602-277-8700 for info.

Oh, admit it -- you were expecting some foodie bloopers resulting from two soon-to-open upscale Japanese restaurants whose names were uncannily similar.

I know I was.

No offense to either Roka or Sushi Roku, but those names were a little too close for comfort. Now the pressure's off, since Roka just announced a name change.

The high-profile London-based Roka, anticipating the opening of its first American outpost, decided to embellish its moniker a bit. Now the eatery will be called Roka Akor ("Akor" simply the backwards spelling of Roka), in reference to the Scottsdale location being a reflection of the original.

And no doubt, it helps to stand out. Roka Akor will debut sometime in mid to late-January at the new Artesia development at Scottsdale Road and Indian Bend.

Meanwhile, Sushi Roku, a branch of the popular L.A. restaurant, will be based out of the new W Scottsdale, scheduled to open on February 1.

So the big adventure of the weekend, aside from getting a long-overdue Lola Tapas fix (I loved the two specials, a melt-in-your-mouth braised pork dish, plus velvety mocha flan), was my visit to the brand-new Whole Foods at the 101 and Ray Road. One of my favorite local restaurateurs raved about it recently, so I couldn't wait to get over there to check it out.

The place is insane -- a super-supermarket with too many things to look at, and everything presented so beautifully. As usual, there's aisle after aisle of the usual gourmet/healthnut grocery items, but the offerings go way beyond staples. There was a tapas and wine bar with tastings of some nice high-end wines (a good way to try before you shell out the bucks on a bottle), a panini counter, an Asian food counter with sushi and noodle soups, and a by-the-pound salad bar area with both hot and cold dishes -- everything from pakora and chicken korma to quinoa salad and pasta with mozzarella and tomato. I loaded up a plate with literally 20 different things, then spent ten minutes deliberating on a drink. (I ended up with some kind of fancy bottled kombucha, one of maybe a dozen varieties.)

After lunch, I found dangerous areas in other parts of the store -- namely, the wine and beer aisles. I also got sidetracked by all the non-edible stuff, including beauty products, incense, and magazines. Hell, they even sell cute hemp sneakers and messenger bags. It seemed like no stone had gone unturned by the Whole Foods people, until I overheard one lady say to another, "You know, some of these stores even have massage therapists."

I didn't find anybody to rub that kink out of my shoulder, but I did feel like I caught a glimpse of the future.